Consumers | featured news

Its planned $5 fee for using a debit card has driven out into the open other fees that were long hidden to consumers. This may be a very unpopular thing to say about Bank of America and its planned $5 monthly debit card fee, but it's worth saying anyway: Thank you, Bank of America.

U.S. consumers spent more on autos, clothing and furniture in September to boost retail sales by the most in seven months.

General Motors Co and Chrysler Group reported September U.S. auto sales gains of at least 20 percent, a sign that consumers have returned as vehicle inventories have risen after being crimped by the March earthquake in Japan.

Few seem terribly pleased with Bank of America’s decision to charge its users $5 every month they use their debit cards. BofA blames Congress for passing the Dodd-Frank Act, claiming the law’s new regulations are responsible. The law, which was implemented in June, restricts the fees that banks can charge merchants when customers use debit cards to pay, lowering them from 44 cents to 24 cents.

Americans earned less last month, the first decline in nearly two years. With less income, consumers could cut back on spending and weaken an already-fragile economy.

Some cost-conscious consumers are turning to do-it-yourself Botox kits, but doctors warn these at-home treatments could have deadly consequences.

Signs that American consumers were pulling back on their spending added to growing concerns about the direction of the economy.

As elected officials try to cash in on fireworks sales in cities and counties where they have long been banned, consumers will find it easier to buy fireworks.

Consumer confidence fell in June to the lowest point since November 2010 on concerns about the slack labor market and sputtering recovery, according to a Conference Board report released on Tuesday.

For the first time in a year, Americans have stopped spending more....